


A Force More Wonderful (And More Terrible) Than Death

by LostAngelSoul



Category: Greek and Roman Mythology, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Different Horcrux Logic, F/F, F/M, Homophobic Community, M/M, Mild Dumbledore Bashing, Multiple Relationships, Progressive wizards fix that, Teacher-Student Relationship, True Love, happy endings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-19
Updated: 2018-08-19
Packaged: 2019-03-06 22:45:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13421199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LostAngelSoul/pseuds/LostAngelSoul
Summary: The night at the Ministry, when Harry Potter and his friends tried to save Sirius Black, they opened a door that should have stayed locked. The embodiment of Love was released into the wizarding world and suddenly the plot changes. True love is discovered, rules are broken and the race to defeat Voldemort begins.





	1. Prologue: The Locked Door

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: This is a plot bunny that’s been teasing me for months, so I decided to reread the books and low and behold, my OC found her perfect entrance.
> 
> I am not a natural when it comes to writing and this is my first full fanfic, so please be kind and enjoy.
> 
> Eventual pairings will include SS/HG and HP/DM. I’m sticking with book-Snape, but there’s still an age difference of about twenty years (book-Snape died at 38, so while Alan Rickman is awesome, he’s out of place here). I’m counting on Hermione’s maturity to balance the relationship. That being said, there will be some professor/student interaction once she’s 17 and of age (although the age of consent in Britain is 16 (ignoring all the ethical restrictions like position of trust, etc.) and I may still use some timeturner logic so that physically she’s 18 to satisfy other countries age requirements) and the same between Harry and Draco. If any of this isn’t your cup of tea, fair enough, look elsewhere but don’t hate on me.
> 
> Everything you recognise comes from JKR or mythology; I’m just playing with their toys. There will be quite a few similarities to canon scattered throughout, so direct quotes and extracts have been referenced where possible.
> 
> Rating may change if things get steamy. You have been warned.

Deep in the Ministry of Magic, a group of teenagers searched for Sirius Black, Harry Potter’s godfather, and the room that glittered in the Department of Mysteries where Harry’s vision had shown him. They were in the room of doors and had already tried two (the ‘Veil-Between-Worlds’ room and the ‘Brains?-In-A-Jar?’ room as one nerdy muggleborn ministry worker had dubbed them) with no success. They returned to the main room to try again.

‘ _Once more, the wall span and became still again. Harry approached another door at random and pushed. It did not move._

_‘What’s wrong?’ said Hermione._

_‘It’s . . . locked . . .’ said Harry, throwing his weight at the door, but it didn’t budge._

_‘This is it, then, isn’t it?’ said Ron excitedly, joining Harry in the attempt to force the door open. ‘Bound to be!’_

_‘Get out of the way!’ said Hermione sharply. She pointed her wand at the place where a lock would have been on an ordinary door and said ‘Alohomora!’_

_Nothing happened._

_‘Sirius’s knife!’ said Harry. He pulled it out from inside his robes and slid it into the crack between the door and the wall. The others all watched eagerly as he ran it from top to bottom, and withdrew it and then flung his shoulder again at the door. It remained as firmly shut as ever. What was more, when Harry looked down at the knife, he saw the blade had melted._

_‘Right, we’re leaving that room,’ said Hermione decisively._ ’ [ _Rowling, JK. ‘Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix’ (2003), pg 684_ ]

‘Why don’t you try asking nicely?’ said Luna. With a dreamy smile, she placed a hand on the door and the wood surrounding her palm glowed softly. ‘Would you let us in, please? We need to save Harry’s godfather.’

For a moment nothing happened as the door seemed to ponder Luna and her request. Finally, with a soft click, it swung open.

One glance told Harry it was not the room in his dreams. This room was lit by torches and, together with a lit fireplace, cast a golden glow on the contents of the room. It looked like an academic’s study, with bookshelves covering the walls and a large mahogany desk off to one side covered in stacks of paper and files. Four armchairs sat around the fire and the room was cosy and warm – at complete odds with the chains dangling from the ceiling in the centre of the room and the woman attached to them. There was enough slack in the chains that she could stand on her own, but her arms were manacled at the wrist and pulled above her head.

The Hogwarts contingent was frozen in shock. Why did the ministry have a woman chained up in the Department of Mysteries?

‘Hello,’ she said, smiling kindly at them. ‘I do not suppose you are here to rescue me?’

Striking grey eyes watched them patiently as they tried to make sense of what they saw in front of them. Even her appearance confused them. She was glowing in an ethereal manner and clad in a gold-trimmed white shift reminiscent of the styles favoured by the Ancient Greeks. Her dark blonde hair was long and wavy, the sides braided to hold it away from her face, and her skin was a clear ivory that seemed to shine from within. She did not, in essence, look like someone imprisoned deep in the Ministry of Magic’s most secretive department.

It was Luna who responded first. ‘Why are you tied up?’ she asked, tilting her head in curiosity. The other teenagers were still gaping.

The woman in front of them didn’t seem to find it strange that a group of teenagers had appeared to have broken into the Ministry. ‘It is a long story, but the short version is that your Ministry wanted to experiment on Love, and the cuffs are charmed to suppress magic and stop me getting out of here.’ She frowned up at the chains holding her. ‘It is rather tiresome.’

Luna made a move as though to step forward, but Harry grabbed her arm and held her back. ‘Who are you?’ he asked.

Her attention flicked back to him. ‘I am Love.’ At his sceptical look, she corrected herself. ‘I am the physical incarnation of Love. My name is Aphrodite, Goddess of Love, Beauty and Pleasure.’

Hermione gasped. ‘That’s impossible! The gods were wiped out centuries ago.’

Aphrodite laughed softly. ‘I doubt they got them all. It’s hard to be wiped out when you are chained up in a magical prison. The whole room is covered in dampening spells – magic is useless in here,’ she added as Hermione raised her wand experimentally.

The girl looked back towards Harry, who was clearly fidgeting at the delay. ‘You guys should go on ahead. Find Sirius. We’ll catch up once we’ve freed her.’

He frowned, but after a moment’s consideration nodded and led the others back out the room. Luna and Hermione stayed behind.

It took a bit of fiddling but they eventually managed to get the chains unlocked. The cuffs themselves proved a problem, but at least the goddess was free to leave. Her magic was still dampened though, so she would have to walk out the front door of the ministry.

She apologised repeatedly at not being more help, but was at least able to point them at the right door to follow their friends into the department of prophecies. From there they parted ways, them to save Sirius and her to escape and rid herself of the manacles that cut her off from her power.

The fiasco that followed was enough that they wished they’d asked her to stay after all.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Harry was furious. Dumbledore had kept so much from him, and only now that Sirius was dead would he sit calmly behind his desk, finally giving him some of the answers he had been looking for this past year.

‘Voldemort possessed me and you didn’t think to tell me that that could’ve happened at any point this year?! You – ’

‘ _‘There is a room in the Department of Mysteries,’ interrupted Dumbledore, ‘that is kept locked at all times. It contains a force that is at once more wonderful and more terrible than death, than human intelligence, than the forces of nature. It is also, perhaps, the most mysterious of the many subjects for study that reside there. It is the power held within that room that you possess in such quantities and which Voldemort has not at all. That power took you to save Sirius tonight. That power also saved you from possession by Voldemort, because he could not bear to reside in a body so full of the force he detests. In the end, it mattered not that you could not close your mind. It was your heart that saved you._ ’ [ _Rowling, JK. ‘Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix’ (2003), pg 743_ ]

‘Oh, that room?’ Harry said derisively. ‘We opened it. Freed the poor woman trapped inside too.’

‘Woman?’ Dumbledore asked in confusion, and for a moment Harry felt as though he had the upper hand over the old man. ‘There was a woman in there?’

‘Uh, yeah? She was being held prisoner so they could study her or something.’ He shrugged. ‘It wasn’t right.’

Dumbledore peered at him over his half-moon spectacles. ‘What happened to her? There was no sign of her at the Ministry when we reached you.’

‘Guess she made it out before you got there.’ He looked at Dumbledore seriously. ‘What else haven’t you told me?’

 

 


	2. The New Professor

It was with no small amount of surprise that Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, walked into his office one week before the school term started to find a young woman standing by his desk petting Fawkes, the phoenix. There were three reasons for this. Firstly, she was a stranger, and the wards around Hogwarts should have alerted him to her presence as soon as she crossed the border – there was no way she should have been able to get to his office, to the heart of Hogwarts, undetected. Yet there she was.

Secondly, Fawkes was perched on her outstretched arm, chattering away to her as if she were actually able to understand him.

Thirdly, she was glowing, as if from under her very skin, and wearing a long white summer dress edged in gold embroidery that reminded Albus of the togas worn by the Greeks in the Ancient World. Her dark streaked honey blonde hair was long and softly curled, twin braids keeping it clear of her face. Her movements were graceful as she stroked Fawkes’ neck one last time and urged him back onto his brass perch before turning to face the Headmaster.

He felt as though he were looking at a work of art.

Striking grey eyes swept him from head to foot and full lips quirked up in a smile that lit up the room. Perhaps an angel, he mused. But why would an angel be in his office? Surely it was not yet his time. . .

‘Albus Dumbledore,’ she said softly. ‘You look well.’

He peered at the woman over the top of his half-moon spectacles. ‘Might I be of assistance, Madam?’

The woman bowed her head. ‘Indeed you may, but I will get to that in a second. First, introductions are in order. You, of course, are Professor Albus Dumbledore. A pleasure to meet you.’ Her head tilted for a moment as she watched him. ‘A pity about you and Master Dippet’s son, but you seem none the worse for it. I am glad.’

He arched a bushy brow, but his eyes flickered involuntarily to the former headmaster’s portrait for a moment before returning to examine her with interest. ‘I beg your pardon, Madam?’

She smiled again. ‘I am Aphrodite, Goddess of Love, Beauty and Pleasure.’

His eyes twinkled with amusement. ‘That explains it then,’ he chuckled, striding around his desk. ‘Please, take a seat.’ He gestured as he sank into his own wing-backed chair.

Aphrodite complied, crossing her legs and smoothing the fabric of her dress. The seat was padded enough to be comfortable, but its position in front of the desk directly opposite the Headmaster’s retained a sense of formality. She ignored that fact and reclined gracefully, her sandaled feet pointing at the fire to the left. The goddess also toned down her glowing aura until it was less of a distraction, a shimmer rather than a shine as she settled into a human persona for the Headmaster’s benefit.

‘Well then,’ Albus began once they were comfortable. ‘What can we do for you, Miss Aphrodite?’

She smiled wryly. ‘I was rather hoping you would give me a job.’

He appeared intrigued, and gestured for her to continue.

‘I have several projects running in your school at present. While overseeing these someone has. . . caught my eye, shall we say. I am intrigued in a way I have not been for centuries.’ Aphrodite sighed. ‘Immortality can get terribly dull at times. History repeats itself over and over and you mortals are slow learners in the grand scheme of things – no offence.’ She said quickly, worried that she’d accidently insulted him. ‘I simply mean that in general, despite progressing quickly in some areas, in others people are making the same mistakes as their ancestors.’ Aphrodite was aware she was beginning to ramble, and she forced herself to stop. It had been too long since she had directly interacted with humans, and she watched him carefully as she tried to gauge his reaction.

The twinkle in his eyes remained, although whether as a result of her rambling or from general amusement she could not say. ‘No offence taken, my dear.’

She smiled again. ‘Thank goodness. In any case you will find me well-versed in history of magic, ancient ruins and ancient studies, for obvious reasons, although I am confident I would be able to teach any subject in which you have an opening. My repertoire covers everything from Alchemy to Zoology, or Care of Magical Creatures as I believe you prefer to call it.’ The woman glanced to the fiery phoenix perched by the desk. ‘On a side note, your Fawkes is a remarkable bird. Rather chatty as well.’ The phoenix preened at the sudden attention, and she tried not to laugh. ‘Yes, you are a very handsome creature, sir,’ she said with a straight face.

Fawkes however must have sensed her humour, for he flicked his tail feathers and pretended he was ignoring her.

The Headmaster watched them with interest, but turned the conversation back to the matter in hand.

‘As it happens we do have a vacancy, but first my dear, why do you want to join the staff here at Hogwarts? Surely you understand that if a student has taken your interest, you would be morally obliged to abstain from any inappropriate student/teacher relationships?’ He watched her carefully, his eyes sharp, despite the casual relaxed expression on his face. ‘Such relationships are not forbidden, but nonetheless they are actively discouraged and make life very complicated for all those involved.’

Aphrodite nodded. ‘Indeed, sir. That is precisely my reason. Aside from the fact that I love children, teaching them and watching them grow, developing their capabilities, being part of their transition from child to young adult, the individual who has caught my attention is a professor. I would rather stand before them as an equal.’

He smiled. ‘Well then. Who am I to stand in the way of love herself?’ He leant forward. ‘What would you say to a trial period as a professor for ancient studies? It is an extra-curricular subject at present, supervised by Professors Cuthbert Binns and Bathsheda Babbling, but I’m sure both they and the students would appreciate your first-hand knowledge on the matter.’

She didn’t bother to hide her excitement; the smile spread across her face until she was in danger of pulling a muscle. ‘I would be delighted, Headmaster.’

‘One thing, however. How did you get through the wards into my office?’ He didn’t seem annoyed. Far from it; curiosity filled his twinkling eyes.

Her smile morphed to a mischievous grin. ‘There is a certain messenger god you may have heard of – Hermes. He can go anywhere at any time. Your wards were child’s play to him; I merely hitched a ride.’ She winked. ‘He thought it was rather fun to waltz into the heart of Hogwarts undetected.’

Albus chuckled, and rose from his chair. ‘That would certainly explain it.’ He walked around the end of his desk and held his hand out to her. ‘Welcome to Hogwarts, Professor. . .?’

‘Let us go with Professor Aphrodite Cypris,’ she said, taking his hand. ‘Although my contemporaries call me Rhody.’

‘Professor Cypris,’ the Headmaster repeated, squeezing her hand in his. ‘Come, it is almost time for dinner, and an excellent opportunity to introduce you to the teachers.’

‘Thank you, Headmaster. I will join you in the Great Hall shortly – I have a brief detour to make first.’

\- - - - - - - - - - - - -

After leaving Dumbledore’s office, Rhody headed straight for the dungeons – there was someone she was eager to meet.

Severus Snape did not look pleased when his door opened.

‘Go away,’ he said sharply without looking up, ignoring her in favour of the book he had his nose buried in. ‘I’m busy.’ A soft chuckle caused his head to snap up and he eyed the stranger standing in his doorway suspiciously. ‘And who might you be?’

‘Really Severus, there is no need for any animosity. I am a new professor here and a great fan of your work.’

An arched brow was his only response.

The corner of her mouth twitched in amusement at the man’s intimidating presence. ‘My name is Rhody,’ she said.

He sighed the sigh of the long-suffering and marked his place in his book with a finger. ‘Clearly you are unfamiliar with how things are here at Hogwarts. I get left alone.’

She grinned. ‘Would it help if I returned with Firewhiskey?’

‘No,’ he retorted, trying to return to his book and ignore her.

‘But it is dinner time, Severus. Surely you need to eat?’

‘No,’ he repeated.

‘You don’t need to eat?’ she said in mock amazement.

‘Not what I meant.’

‘But that is what you said.’ Rhody was having fun already. She watched him in fascination as a muscle in his jaw ticked.

‘I will eat later. Now go away.’

She did the opposite, coming in and seating herself in the armchair opposite him.

He glared at her. ‘You aren’t going away.’

She shook her head, eyes dancing with mischief. ‘Not until you come upstairs for dinner with me.’

He looked at her like she was crazy. ‘Not going to happen.’

‘Of course it will. Professor Dumbledore is expecting all the staff to join him for dinner.’

‘What a shame, I missed that announcement,’ he replied dryly. ‘I suppose I’ll just have to send my apologies. Why don’t you pass them along for me as you go.’

She laughed again. ‘Or I could remain here and you can receive a personal invitation when he notices my absence and seeks me out.’

They sat in silence for a few moments, Rhody grinning as Severus weighed up his options.

‘Fine,’ he said at last, putting his book aside. He stood and swept out the room without a backwards glance to ensure Rhody was following. He assumed she would be scrambling to get out of the chair and catch up and jumped slightly when she put her arm through his a moment later.

‘Severus Snape, we are going to be great friends,’ she said, matching his pace with ease.

He huffed derisively. ‘I wouldn’t count on it.’

He didn’t need to look to know she was smiling again. Damn her.


	3. Aurora Sinistra

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't have a beta, so bear with me. I try to fix mistakes as I read through, but there are always some that slip through the gaps.

At dinner Rhody sat beside Severus and a beautiful ebony skinned woman with eyes of midnight who introduced herself as Aurora Sinistra. This was the soul who had so intrigued her, that burned with a repressed fire for sapphoritic pleasure so deeply buried that Rhody wasn’t sure how aware of it the mortal was. She wanted it to be freed and she was quite prepared to accept the challenge herself.

‘Welcome to Hogwarts,’ Aurora said passing Rhody a plate. ‘Six more days of peace before the students arrive back. Enjoy it while it lasts.’

‘Thank you. You teach Astronomy, if I am not mistaken?’ Rhody asked with interest. She knew the other woman did, but thought it might be a good conversation starter. ‘Perhaps you can show me your charts sometime? I think the night sky is mesmerising but I am unfamiliar with the current constellations used by wizarding society.’ That was true enough; there were sure to have been changes in the last millennia.

Aurora nodded, watching her curiously. ‘If you don’t mind me asking, where are you from? Your speech pattern is unusual and I can’t place your accent.’

Rhody noticed Severus’ head tilt slightly as he waited for her answer, although he didn’t look away from the food appearing in front of him. She smiled. ‘I confess, English is not my mother tongue. My early years consisted of Hellenic dialects – Ancient Greek,’ she clarified as Aurora’s puzzled look.

Confusion turned to amusement. ‘Well that explains your name. Wasn’t Aphrodite a Greek goddess?’ Rhody nodded, smiling back at her, fascinated by the expressiveness of the other woman’s features. ‘Very appropriate then.’

Rhody chuckled softly. ‘More than you realise,’ she replied with a wink.

Severus cleared his throat. ‘She was the goddess of love, and supposedly irresistible to mortals.’

Aurora blushed. ‘I wasn’t implying – ’

‘Of course not,’ Rhody interjected. ‘That would be impossible. If a goddess were to walk among you she would need a tangible form and one person cannot be irresistible to everyone. Even Veela cannot do that. Different people are attracted to different genders, body sizes, personalities, the list goes on, and a single form cannot be all of those at once.’

‘What if it were a glamour or spell so each person saw what they wanted to see, whether it was male, female or whatever?’ Severus said, speculating as the problem intrigued him. ‘Then it wouldn’t matter what form was underneath.’

Rhody shook her head. ‘How would that affect an asexual person? It would not be irresistible to them.’

‘You’re assuming the irresistibility is sexual,’ he countered.

She conceded the point. ‘Touché. Then allow me to correct my statement. There is no natural way for one person to be irresistible to everyone and impossible for them to be sexually attractive to everyone even with the use of magic.’

‘Lust potion,’ Severus stated smugly, the barest hint of a smile on his face. He was enjoying this.

Rhody rolled her eyes. ‘Very well, I retract the whole thing. But people are still attracted to a variety of different things.’

‘Exactly,’ Aurora said. ‘And I like men.’

Rhody and Severus both gave her strange looks. ‘If you say so,’ Rhody said, bemused.

‘I do!’ she said defensively. Her cheeks were still red. Rhody wondered what she was afraid of, why she was so determined to hide when Rhody already knew what she was attracted to, but she just shrugged. ‘No one is contradicting you Aurora.’ No one save for her own heart. Rhody would take great pleasure working on that with her.

Aurora’s cheeks flushed even redder as she realised she had been protesting too much. ‘How – how did you get Severus to escort you to dinner?’ she said, quickly changing the subject. ‘He prefers eating in his quarters when he can.’

Severus glared at Rhody as she grinned again – she really was far too cheerful for his liking. ‘Well,’ she said, launching into the story. ‘It happened like this. . .’

\- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Severus and Aurora had been friends for years, that much was clear to Rhody by the end of dinner. Each saved the other from loneliness, although in doing so it saved them turning their gaze elsewhere for companionship. Rhody struggled to comprehend it; neither seemed interested in seeking love, intimacy or romance and that concept was foreign to the goddess of love.

She would have to change that. She would woo the beautiful Aurora but Severus posed more of a challenge. She would have to find his soul mate and somehow she got the feeling that the grouchy potions master would not make it easy for any of them.

She invited them to her new chambers, a set of rooms in one of Hogwarts’ many towers, for a few drinks after dinner. Aurora agreed, although looked as if she were having second thoughts when Severus declined. ‘I have reading to do,’ was his parting explanation as he rose from the table and strode off back to the dungeons.

Rhody turned back to Aurora. ‘Just you and I then,’ she said with a smile. The other woman smiled back a little nervously. ‘Come along.’

She led the way to the tower and stopped before a portrait of a scholarly gentleman surrounded by shelves of scrolls and parchment. ‘Good evening, sir. I believe the Headmaster has tasked you with guarding my chambers. I am Professor Aphrodite Cypris.’

The painted gentleman adjusted his glasses as he peered up from his scrolls. ‘A pleasure, madam. Please, call me Augustine. Password?’

‘Liquorice wand, but I would prefer if it were to be changed to ‘Hesiod’s Theogony’.’

He bowed his head. ‘As you wish, madam.’ With that, the portrait swung open, admitting the two women to the tower beyond.

‘This is pleasant,’ Rhody said, glancing around her new quarters. ‘Would you like to help me explore?’

The combined main living area/study they had stepped into was decorated with hardwood floors with soft rugs and cushions accented in cream to contrast the dark colours of the furniture. A leather suite was arranged around a high mantled fireplace, with a fire crackling away merrily, providing the room with a cosy warmth. Floor to ceiling bookcases interspaced with tall windows covered the rounded wall and matched the mahogany desk and wing backed chair they sat behind.

The overall impression was of luxurious comfort, timeless elegance, and sensual seduction. Although perhaps that last only applied to Rhody because that was what she planned to do to the woman standing next to her.

Discretely she flicked her hand in the direction of the bookcases and a music box appeared on one of the upper shelves, playing a soft melody. It was enough to jolt Aurora from her examination of the room and she looked at Rhody questioningly.

Rhody shrugged with a half-smile. ‘I like music. Shall we see what the other rooms hold?’

Leading the way through an arched doorway, Rhody found a dining area similar in colour scheme to the main room, seating six, and a small open plan kitchenette.

Aurora eyed the large table. ‘That’s a little excessive for just you, isn’t it? Or do they expect you to hold dinner parties?’

Rhody laughed. ‘Perhaps they were accommodating for appetites other than food,’ she said, running fingers over the smooth – and very sturdy – wooden table top. ‘I am Aphrodite after all, am I not?’ She watched Aurora from beneath lowered lashes. The other woman’s cheeks had coloured and she seemed a little flustered as she looked away from the table and displayed great interest in the kitchen.

Rhody suppressed a grin and examined the sideboard and its contents. There were a variety of alcoholic beverages, all good quality. She didn’t know who had designed these rooms for her, but she definitely approved.

‘Would you care for a drink, Aurora?’ she asked, momentarily distracted by the sound of the woman’s name on her tongue. It rolled quite beautifully and had the added benefit of returning Aurora’s attention to her.

‘Perhaps a small brandy? I shouldn’t stay long.’

Rhody poured them each a glass and passed one to Aurora. Taking a sip, she murmured appreciatively and Rhody followed suit, savouring the feeling of warmth spreading through her chest. ‘Worried that the stars will fade away if you are not keeping watch?’ she teased. ‘Fret not, my niece Asteria, Goddess of Stars, would not allow such a thing. She is, at present, playing at being an island, but should the stars misbehave she would come out of hiding to reprimand them most severely.’ She smiled playfully and held out her free hand to Aurora, who smiled back, albeit with some bemusement. ‘Come. I believe I saw stairs in the other room.’ Aurora hesitated a moment before accepting the offered hand and allowing herself to be pulled through the arch again.

Indeed there were stairs, behind a heavy curtain tied open next to the entrance. Rhody led the way upwards, hand still clasping Aurora’s, and they exited into a bedchamber, although another set of stairs ascended further.

The bedroom was dominated by a large four poster draped in creamy silks that contrasted with the dark mahogany of the furniture and patterned duvet. Unlike the lower level however, there was colour here. Shades of red drew the eye to cushions, blankets and rugs scattered about the room and a tall window with its own cosy day bed/window seat looked over the grounds to the mountains beyond.

‘Magnificent,’ Rhody whispered. ‘It takes your breath away, does it not?’

Hearing a semi-strangled squeak in response, she looked back to find Aurora’s gaze fixed on the bed.

‘That is not what I was referring to, my dear,’ she said, her eyes sparkling with mirth as the other woman’s gaze snapped to her, ‘But if you care for a closer inspection…’

She released Aurora’s hand and swept over to the bed to recline upon it. She knew the dark colours complemented her paler skin and posed dramatically, like a maiden mid-swoon. ‘Alas!’ she cried, ‘It is too large and intimidating!’ She sank back, storm-grey eyes darkening as she looked at Aurora. ‘Perhaps it will devour me,’ she whispered, voice growing husky.

She saw Aurora swallow convulsively and thought for a moment she would move to join her on the bed. She wanted her to, could see the desire warring with fear in her eyes. ‘It is so soft,’ Rhody murmured, unwilling to break the spell weaving between the two of them. ‘Don’t you want to come and feel for yourself?’

‘I –,’ Aurora started, then shook her head, breaking the moment. ‘I’m sorry, I have to go.’

Not waiting for a response, she turned and Rhody watched as she fled down the stairs, a smile touching her lips. She had felt the tension between them, as had Aurora. There was hope for them yet.


	4. The Potion Master

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one fought me all the way. It feels forced, but hey, it is what it is. We can suffer through it together to get to the interesting stuff on the other side.

The following morning Rhody rose with the sun. Dressing in some lightweight lilac robes, she left her hair loose and made her way down to the Great Hall.

It was deserted – either her fellow teachers were enjoying their last few lazy mornings before the students returned or they preferred to eat in their own quarters. Idly she wondered which category Aurora and Severus each fit in to.

She took a seat anyway and immediately tea, coffee and fruit juice appeared before her alongside a card with various breakfast options written on it. Lifting the card, she felt the tingle of magic surrounding it. Curious, she touched the text reading ‘fruit selection’. When nothing happened she tried speaking to the card. ‘May I have the fruit selection please?’

A moment later a platter of fresh fruit appeared before her.

‘Thank you,’ she called, putting the card to one side and helping herself to a pear. ‘Is it possible to have some company as well?’

There was a _crack_ and a small creature with large ears, orb-like eyes and wearing a tea cosy with the Hogwarts crest appeared, bowing low before her.

‘Mitty is pleased to serve, Mistress!’

She smiled at the excited high-pitched voice. ‘Good morning, kind sir. Forgive my ignorance, but would you be an elf by any chance?’

The creature’s head bobbed enthusiastically. ‘Yes, Mistress, Mitty is a house-elf.’

‘Pleased to meet you, Mitty. Would you like to sit?’ She gestured at the empty chairs beside her. ‘I find myself dining alone this morning.’

Mitty shook his head, ears flapping. ‘Thank you, Mistress, no. Mitty would prefer to stand.’

‘As you wish. How long have you worked at Hogwarts, Mitty?’

She took some tea and sipped it before setting it aside and reaching for the fruit juice. It seemed she was not a fan of tea. She watched the elf’s eyes follow her movements and knew he was taking note of her preferences.

‘Mitty has been here for nearly fifty years, Mistress. We have served with pride like our father before us.’ He smiled up at her.

‘And I am sure you will do so for many more years,’ she replied, smiling back. ‘With that experience, I wonder if you could help me. I am unfamiliar with current social conventions and unsure how to develop platonic friendships in this era. I would very much like to make friends amongst the teaching staff. I believe,’ she said with a wry grin, ‘that Professor Snape and I would get on well. I enjoyed his quick mind and sharp tongue over dinner and noticed he and Professor Sinistra were on casual terms but he does not seem like he would be easy to befriend. In truth, I suspect he will be a little reluctant, yet I am determined to try. Another friend would benefit them both I think.’

Mitty listened, curious to know where she was going with this. The elves all knew of the surly professor’s roll in the wizard war and knew also that he could not serve two masters without assistance. This odd not-witch wanted to befriend him and she was powerful. Perhaps she could help him. He spoke slowly, weighing his words carefully.

‘Master of Potions is a very private wizard. Mitty cannot say much, except to observe that if Mistress watches his actions, not his words, she will see Master of Potions is a good wizard forced into bad situations. We would suggest Mistress try looking past the pricklies and match him intellectually.’

‘Pricklies?’ Rhody repeated in confused amusement.

Mitty nodded vehemently. ‘Yes, Mistress, prickly words.’

She finished her juice, reflecting. ‘Thank you Mitty. One question – so you know Professors Snape and Sinistra’s favourite colours?’

Again the head bobbed. ‘Of course, Mistress. Mistress of Astronomy favours purple, rich and dark like the sky. Master of Potions favours his house colours, green and silver.’

‘Thank you Mitty.’ She smiled at him. ‘I believe that is enough to be getting on with for now. I would not want to keep you overlong from your duties.’

He bowed in farewell and she stood, lifting an orange from the depleted platter in front of her. ‘I should be getting back to my own duties. These lessons will not plan themselves, as I believe they say.’

\- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Rhody went to visit Severus again that afternoon. Having spent the morning arranging lessons for seven years of students and now having a basic outline for the year, she felt the second half of the day should be spent on more pleasant pursuits.

She found him in the potions lab attached to his quarters.

He scowled as she walked in. ‘How the hell did you get in here?’

She tried to keep a straight face. ‘Oh Severus, there is the most wonderful invention for letting people enter rooms. I believe they call it a door.’

His mouth thinned, but she could’ve sworn she saw the faintest flash of amusement in his eyes for a moment as she attempted to imitate some of his snarky humour. She was missing the drawl though. ‘I was not referring to the door. I was referring to the wards. The ones that are supposed to keep irritating Hellenistic theological imitations out of my private rooms.’

‘Hmm, I suspect they might need a little work. Perhaps they are not specific enough?’ she said, affecting an air of contemplation. ‘We cannot have imitations pestering you with so little effort. They should have to work for it. Have you considered employing a Cerberus?’

‘I think not. Much simpler to just hex anyone who comes through that door. Something painful and embarrassing, I think. Piles the size of grapefruits or something along those lines.’

Rhody winced. ‘How very unfortunate. Perhaps in future it _would_ be in my best interests to knock.’

He arched a brow imperiously. ‘It is entirely your choice madam. You can either leave me in peace, or you can suffer the consequences.’

She waved a hand dismissively. ‘It is a moot point this afternoon. I am here now and you have not hexed me.’ She peered at the potion apparatus arranged before him. ‘What are you brewing?’

Severus huffed, but allowed her curiosity. ‘The infirmary stores need restocked before the students return. This –,’ he indicated the set-up in front of him, ‘- is a batch of headache reliever, the cauldron there is a calming draught and on the cooling rack is bruise salve.’

She took a seat opposite him. ‘Really, you mortals are so terribly fragile. It must keep you very busy. It is a wonder you have time to teach as well.’

He glared again as she made herself comfortable. She ignored his look. ‘Why have you not taken on an apprentice? Surely there are projects more suited to your level of intellect that you would rather be working on?’

He scoffed at the idea. ‘Very few people possess the skill, aptitude and dedication to become a potions apprentice, and none would meet my level of expectation.’

‘You are passionate about your work.’ It was a statement rather than a question, but he tipped in head in acknowledgement anyway. ‘Despite the ineptitude of many of the children, you persist in trying to teach them anyway. Why?’

The eyebrow went up again. Rhody was beginning to wonder if it had a life of its own. ‘That is what I am paid to do.’

There was more to it, Rhody knew. He wouldn’t have been teaching for sixteen years if money was his only motivation. The pay simply wasn’t good enough. But she let the matter drop – for now.

‘Is there anything I can help with?’ The other eyebrow rose to join its mate. ‘I know, I am hardly at your level and perhaps a little out of practice, but I am perfectly capable of preparing potions ingredients.’

A slightly evil gleam appeared in his eyes. ‘Well, now that you mention is, there are several large jars of beetles’ eyes that need to be separated from their owners.’

 

By the time dinner rolled around, Rhody had completely lost her appetite. The beetles were small and finicky; she had great difficulty holding them in place long enough to enucleate their even smaller eyes. Every time she tried to use magic to stick them to the countertop, Severus’ head shot up and he reprimanded her with a sneer. _How_ he knew, she had no idea. Her magic should’ve been subtler, less noticeable without the need for exaggerated wand waves and flourishes – or indeed wands – yet every time he did notice.

‘I feel like a child,’ she mumbled. ‘How do you stop them sliding – oh, Merlin’s hairy ballsack!’ The beetle she had currently been working on had slipped right through her fingers and ended up pinging the length of the counter before hitting the ground with a soft crunch as the shell cracked. She glared at it, then at Severus as he spoke.

‘Professor Cypris, please refrain from spoiling my potions supplies,’ he drawled without looking up. ‘They are quite useless if you persist in dropping them on the floor.’ He was impervious to her glare.

‘I will drop _you_ on the floor,’ she muttered petulantly. She waved a hand crossly at the contaminated specimen, banishing it to Professor Sprout’s compost bin (she hoped she had one or it would be found floating aimlessly around the greenhouses).

‘Will you _stop_ doing magic!’ Severus growled.

Rhody glanced up. His jaw was clenched and he seemed particularly tense. ‘I don’t understand what the problem is?’ The contraction of ‘do not’ felt strange and foreign on her tongue, but she was trying to assimilate, and her previous frustration had instantly evaporated in the face of Severus’ puzzling behaviour, replaced with curiosity and the possibility of increasing her understanding of the man before her.

‘My magic does not affect that already in this room, nor would it matter to ingredients already being disposed of, so if it is not an environmental problem, what is it?’

He shuddered, as though shaking off a chill. ‘The problem is, I can feel it. Your magic. It feels. . . off.’

Rhody’s eyes widened in surprise. ‘That is. . . most unusual. Most wizarding folk are not sensitive enough to pick up on it.’ She frowned. ‘But it should not make you uncomfortable. It should feel. . .’ She struggled to find the right words. ‘Warm. Comforting.’ She was the goddess of love. Her magic should reflect that. It _did_ reflect that.

Severus shook his head. ‘I can feel it,’ he repeated. ‘It does feel warm, that’s part of the problem. Wizarding magic doesn’t do that.’ He was watching her warily now. ‘What are you?’ His wand  was in his hand, not threatening, not yet, but very much at the ready. But he felt her power – he didn’t want to start a fight he was sure to lose, not without real provocation. He _was_ a Slytherin after all.

Rhody just looked at him. ‘I am Aphrodite, Goddess of Love, Beauty and Pleasure.’ She dropped a little of her human guise, much like she had before meeting the Headmaster, so she glowed softly. ‘Not an imitation, nor a charlatan.’

Severus stared at her in disbelief. ‘You’re crazy.’

She laughed softly and leant forward, meeting his gaze directly and dropping her mental walls. ‘You have the gift of legilimency, yes? Look and you will find I speak the truth.’

He did, slipping into her head as she presented memories to him as proof. She gave him memories of her early life millennia ago, memories of walking among ancient civilisations and finally memories of the ministry and the long years of captivity. He pulled away and she closed her mind and resettled into her mortal skin again.

He blinked at her, processing the information she had given him. She waited patiently, expecting questions or eloquent acquiescence.

But when he opened his mouth, all he said was:

‘Well, shit.’


	5. The Wrong One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little bit of time jump in this one, but the students are waiting in the wings for their turn and they're getting a little impatient!

The knock at the door hours later pulled them from an intense discussion of potion making, in particular the historical recipes, ancient deity invocations and uses of love (‘Not love, lust!’ Rhody insisted) potions and wizardkind’s inclination to misuse them. Really the mortal was remarkably blasé about her divine status, instead asking all sorts of potion questions that he felt she should be able to answer given her ‘advanced age and experience.’ In reality, misnamed love potions were the only ones the goddess was familiar with, but Severus had academic curiosity to satisfy even if the type of potion was not his preference – or so he justified. They had moved from the lab to the comfy chairs by the fire in the main room and Rhody had been enjoying herself immensely. Severus was inclined to agree, although he would never admit such a thing out loud.

The interruption drew their attention and Severus rose from his armchair, opening the door to find Aurora on the other side, head bowed.

“I did it again, Severus,” she murmured, not looking up. ‘I pushed myself too far.’

Rhody heard the exhaustion in the other woman’s voice, tinged with… was that despair? She sat up and twisted around, trying to catch a glimpse of her expression, but it was hidden in the shadows of her curtain of hair. She could’ve cursed Severus for keeping his rooms so dim at that moment, but even in the dungeon’s soft glow she could see the other woman’s shoulders slumped and her tread slow and heavy as Severus urged her inside. She stopped in the centre of the room, eyes still on the floor. Rhody didn’t think she’d even noticed her presence.

She stood from the sofa. Aurora didn’t react at all.

‘Do you want me to go?’ Rhody asked gently. Severus looked at Aurora questioningly.

‘Doesn’t matter,’ the brunette answered, voice cracking slightly. ‘I’m about to get blind drunk. Feel free to join.’

She shuffled over to the other end of the sofa and sat, as far away from Rhody as she could get. The other woman wanted to move closer, to take her hand and hold her and find out what the matter was so she could make everything better. But even as she moved forward, Severus was handing Aurora a large glass of firewhisky and shaking his head minutely at Rhody. _Not now_. With a flick of his fingers he urged her to sit back down and Rhody acquiesced just as silently, falling back to the corner of the sofa she had been occupying earlier as he sat himself on the edge of the coffee table in front of Aurora.

Rhody noticed, despite his proximity, he made no move to touch the other woman. In fact he seemed to be deliberately _not_ touching her, even avoiding brushing her fingers as he’d passed her the glass.

‘Who was it?’ he asked.

She shrugged, eyes on her hands cradling her drink. ‘Some random in the town. Few years younger. Full of enthusiasm. Sober.’

He nodded. ‘And what prompted it?’ he asked softly.

Another shrug, a large gulp of firewhisky and a smoke exhalation were her answers.

Rhody had no idea what was going on but the pair had clearly done this before – whatever ‘this’ was. She felt as though Severus were talking to an easily spooked animal in that quiet tone and a thousand horrific scenarios ran through her head. She had to know what in Hades name was going on.

‘What happened?’ she asked, her soft tone as she watched the pair at odds with the writhing in her stomach. If anyone had hurt Aurora, they would pay dearly.

Again Severus remained silent, his eyes on the other woman in front of him. Aurora drained her glass and held it out to him for a refill before she had even finished smoking.

‘I went down to the village to find a distraction. For a shag, essentially. Things were fine until my mind kicked in and I was overwhelmed by everything. Not in a good way.’ She grimaced as she took another large gulp. ‘Should’ve said stop then and there. But no, I thought screw it, he’s a nice guy, I’ll power through.’ The fingers of her free hand tangled in her hair, clenching intermittently. ‘It was my own stupidity.’ Outraged, Rhody opened her mouth to contradict her, but Aurora cut her off. ‘I pushed myself too far. He’d have stopped the moment I said something, but I didn’t and he’s not a mind reader.’

Rhody snorted. ‘So you are blaming yourself and getting drunk while he is off in a post-coital haze feeling satisfied with himself? How is that fair?’

Severus gave her a warning glare. ‘Miss Cypris–’

‘No, Severus, I want to know. How is it fair that Aurora is making herself miserable over this?’

‘Because I’m broken!’ Aurora yelled, tears in her eyes. She jumped up from the sofa, thrusting her glass at Severus before heading for the door, still yelling. ‘Because it feels wrong and there must be something wrong with me and I do stupid shit like this and then can’t bear to be touched for days afterwards because it’s just too much!’

Rhody beat her to the door and stood there barring the way.

‘Move,’ Aurora growled, chest heaving as tears streaked her cheeks.

‘No,’ stated Rhody calmly.

‘MOVE!’

Rhody ignored her. ‘You are not broken.’

‘Then why does it feel so wrong?!’

‘Because you haven’t figured out what is right yet.’

‘What the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?’

Rhody sighed. ‘It means you and I both know what triggered this.’

‘I don’t–’ Rhody just looked at her and Aurora’s token protest trailed off as her shoulders suddenly slumped forward and her anger drained away as quickly as it had come. She looked exhausted again.

Slowly, carefully, Rhody stepped forward and wrapped her hands around the other woman’s shoulders. Aurora leant into her touch and Rhody drew her into a hug as the other woman slumped against her, tears flowing freely.

‘It’s ok,’ she whispered. ‘I am here for you.’ She felt the other woman’s hands clinging to her sides and risked a glance at Severus, who was standing with a carefully impassive expression that still could not quite hide the shock in his eyes. She smiled. They didn’t need to treat her like a frightened animal; Aurora was tougher than that, even if she didn’t realise it herself. ‘You are not broken and I am not going anywhere.’

\- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Aurora made a very entertaining drunk, Rhody decided. After the touching moment the other night, she had taken Aurora back to her room and tucked her into bed before falling asleep on the sofa. She’d left when she’d heard Aurora moving around in the morning, but the folded blanket had been evidence of her stay.

The other woman had sought her out later that day, both to apologise for her ‘mini meltdown’ and to thank her and they had ended up sharing coffee and talking about the school, ‘safe’ topics. When she took her leave, Aurora had invited her to the dungeons on Friday night to join her and Severus in their annual pre-term booze up.

As such, the pair were walking back from the dungeons in the very early hours of Saturday morning having left Severus passed out under a blanket with a hangover cure on his bedside table and several empty bottles of firewhisky dotted about his lounge. Rhody was unaffected by the alcohol but it had made Aurora a lot more affectionate than her usual reserved self. Rhody had one arm around her to steady her as they made their way through the deserted hallways.

‘Do you know,’ Aurora said, smothering a giggle, ‘you’re really nice? Like really nice. And I totally see why they call you the goddess of beauty and all that. You’re, like, gorgeous and beautiful and sexy as hell. And you’re distracting. Like, seriously, after what you said the other night? I just melt when you’re around. Especially when I remember how nice it felt when you hugged me. It’s very annoying. I mean, I totally get what you said the other night about finding right-ness. How am I supposed to pretend to find guys interesting when you’re standing there all. . .’ she floundered for the word, ‘. . . distracting.’

Rhody tried to hide her amusement. It seemed Aurora was rather chatty tonight – and her vocabulary was suffering. Truly, she found the other woman’s drunken babbling to be very endearing. ‘I would apologise, but I am not sorry, dearest.’

Aurora rolled her eyes. ‘I know!’ she said in exasperation. ‘And then you keep telling me I’m not broken and being all sexy and give me the ‘come hither’ eyes and it’s just not fair! I get all wound up and feel like I want to hit something, except I don’t really. And it’s scary.’

‘Why is it scary, love?’

‘Because it’s a big deal. The wizard community? Not that open minded. I mean just look at all the blood purity bollocks. Then there’s all the muggle advances that they turn their noses up at when it could actually help us. Like space shuttles. They’ve been to the moon, for Merlin’s sake! All we’ve done is look up and tried to read the sky and they’re actually going out there in person! It’s amazing.’

She pulled Rhody to one of the many arch windows lining the hallway and waved an arm behind her, extinguishing the torches with a burst of semi-controlled magic, leaving them in darkness save for the soft light filtering in the windows.

‘Just look,’ she said, tilting her head up to stare at the clear sky. ‘Look at the moon. It’s too far for us to reach, but they’ve been there without needing magic or spells or any of that stuff.’ She rested her head on Rhody’s shoulder, still watching the night sky. ‘If they can’t accept that, what chance does change have? What chance do we have?’

She was an emotional rollercoaster as she settled into a melancholy silence, but Rhody didn’t share her pessimism. Casting a few silent privacy charms (it wouldn’t do for any of the school ghosts to stumble across them and ruin this moment for her when Aurora was finally opening up) she rested her head on Aurora’s hair, hesitantly at first, but when the other woman didn’t protest, she relaxed a little and spoke softly.

‘We do have a chance. All it takes is for one person, one witch or wizard to be the first, to stand up and say ‘we need this change’. Whether it is to say ‘we need to accept muggle advances’ or ‘we need to accept that love is not exclusively between one man and one woman’. If one person takes a stand, more will follow. It is how every revolution started. With one person brave enough to stand up and speak out.’

She paused and turned to face Aurora whose skin was tinted silver in the moonlight. ‘I could be that person, Aurora, if you would stand by my side.’ Her smile was sad. ‘But I would not ask such a thing of you. That is a choice you must make on your own.’

Aurora looked back at her, a pale figure silhouetted in the darkness. ‘You make my heart hurt, Rhody. I am not brave; I don’t want to be mocked or scorned or cast out from wizarding society. I have made a place for myself here and I’m not ready to give that up.’ Rhody began to nod, but Aurora stepped closer and reached up a shaky hand to the other woman’s cheek, stroking it gently. ‘But I can’t keep myself from wanting you too. Even though I know I can’t have you.’

Rhody grinned wryly. ‘You can have me Aurora. You can have me any way you want me.’

‘Even if it means hiding from everyone else, pretending to be nothing more than friends and colleagues in front of others?’

‘Even then, love.’ They had moved closer without either realising it and Rhody could smell the whisky on Aurora’s breath.

‘Then fuck it,’ Aurora whispered, and pulled Rhody’s mouth to hers in a searing kiss.

Rhody responded instantly, surrendering to the other woman’s devouring lips and roaming hands.

She didn’t know how long they stood there, kissing in the moonlight, but when the kisses became more heated and Aurora started tugging at her robes, Rhody gently disentangled them. As they separated, Aurora’s lips were swollen, her hair mussed and she was out of breath. She had never looked more beautiful. Rhody suspected she was in much the same state and could feel the flush of heat radiating from her body, though it was invisible in the darkness.

‘Why did you stop?’ Aurora asked, her voice a whisper of need in the darkness. ‘I’m ok with this – I’m giving in. I want you.’

‘You have been drinking, love. I want you, make no mistake about that. But I am not willing to risk taking advantage of you tonight and losing you in the morning if you sober up and change your mind.’ She didn’t want Aurora to think she was rejecting her in any way, but she had to be clear. She never wanted to put the woman through what she had gone through the other night. ‘When I come to your rooms tomorrow evening for dinner, I will raise the topic again. If, while sober, you still feel the same as you do now, then I will give you what you want. Until then, I will behave.’

Giving a half smile, she took Aurora’s arm and led the woman through the slumbering castle to her rooms at the bottom of the Astronomy tower.


End file.
